I want my head horses behind the bit in the corner, waiting for my hand to drop instead of for the gate to bang. I have a young horse who wants to hop when he leaves the box. He doesn’t score as flat as I’d like, so I’m working on making him more consistent.
The Right Tools
It takes a lot of time in the box and a lot of bangs of the gate to make this happen. I have a Priefert Score Chute, and it saves me from bringing my steers up and back and up and back when I need my horses to hear the front gate while I’m scoring.
The Drill
I’m trying to take the front gate away from him. Sitting in the corner, I’ve got a hold of my reins, and I’m making sure my horse is staying behind the bit. I pop the Score Chute with the steer still in there, and I let go of my bridle reins. I want him to walk forward—but never past the cow—and then I back him up at the same speed I went forward.
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If he just walks forward when I drop my hand, then I just ease him back at the same pace. But if he takes off, I make him back up at the same speed that he went forward, using my feet and hand more aggressively. I keep doing that until he just walks when I drop my hand, with his head and body behind the bridle and in my reins.
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